Jackson Mayor Karen Dunigan and challenger Martin Griffin differ in both leadership style and the substance of their campaigns.

Dunigan, who is completing her first term, is disappointed the council has not gotten more accomplished.

It took the council three tries to hire a city manager and it was mired in several controversial issues, including the enforcement of its sign ordinance and enactment of its stormwater fee.

But Dunigan said the council made two good hires in City Manager Larry Shaffer and Patrick Burtch, the community development director and deputy city manager, and is moving forward with an initiative to demolish vacant homes.

“I’m proud of the direction we’re going,” Dunigan said.

Griffin, a former state representative who was mayor from 1995 to 2006, is also disappointed the council has not gotten more accomplished, and said if elected, he will put an end to the bickering and produce results.

“We’ll have a more civil attitude and work together and get things done the first time rather than the third try,” Griffin said.

When Dunigan ran for mayor two years ago, she proposed holding work sessions so the council would be better prepared for regular meetings. Once in office, she asked the council for work sessions three times and the council declined three times.

“It’s not been for lack of trying,” Dunigan said.

Consolidating services

During Dunigan’s term, city and county officials have agreed to share park managers and merge human resources departments and are now planning to merge information technology departments. Dunigan has also been talking to county, village and township officials about consolidating other services.

Griffin said he supports consolidation when it benefits both parties and the mayor should have a good working relationship with other local officials, but she should also have a good working relationship with her fellow council members.

“You have to get along at home first,” Griffin said.

City finances

Dunigan’s biggest clash with the council took place in May when members learned she had written a letter to State Treasurer Andy Dillon asking him to send a team to review the city’s finances.

Dunigan said the council was not addressing its budget problems so she called for help.

“I felt we had to be accountable,” Dunigan said. “I never asked for a financial manager.”

But council members were concerned requesting the team would lead to the appointment of a financial manager and chastised her for not telling them about the letter.

Griffin said the incident had people around the state talking about Jackson’s problems, which is going to make it harder to get people and businesses to come here.

“That certainly isn’t the kind of attention you want to draw to yourself,” Griffin said.

Griffin said the city is still in a precarious financial position, and when he stepped down as mayor the city had a large fund balance that carried it through the tough times.

In fiscal year 2005-2006, the city had a budget surplus of $5.2 million, 21 percent of expenditures. It now has a projected surplus of $2.3 million, 12 percent of expenditures.

Housing initiative

Shaffer and Burtch proposed the housing initiative at the urging of Dunigan, a Realtor. City staff inspected about 500 vacant homes and determined it would cost about $30 million to rehabilitate them and $3 million to demolish them.

Dunigan said home values have fallen as the number of vacant homes has risen, and razing them would bring stability to the city’s neighborhoods.

“If people keep losing the value of their homes, people are going to leave them,” Dunigan said. “We have to stop that flight.”

Dunigan hopes the demolition can begin early next year.

Griffin, who is also a Realtor, supports the initiative but has doubts about the timetable because the city has title to only one of about 500 vacant homes now. He said the city should start by acquiring the cheapest homes and demolishing them.

Stormwater fee

Dunigan and Griffin also differ on the city’s stormwater fee.

Dunigan said the city needs the fee to comply with federal mandates to keep the Grand River clean, but she said it should be revised and made more business friendly.

Griffin called the fee a “rain tax” and said one of the first things he would do it repeal it. He said the fee for home owners, $8 per quarter, is reasonable, but the fee for business owners, several hundred dollars per month in some cases, is a “job killer.”

“I can’t believe they didn’t look at the numbers and how much it would costs businesses,” Griffin said.

The future

Dunigan said she remains optimistic about Jackson’s future and has no plans to leave for a career in politics.

“I think this community has unlimited potential. It’s just that we’re so hard on ourselves,” Dunigan said. “We just haven’t tapped into it.”

Griffin served two terms as state representative and said he has not ruled out another run for state office, but he has not ruled it in, either.

Griffin, who received nearly twice the number of votes Dunigan received in the primary, said people encouraged him to run for mayor again and he has received a good response while campaigning.